Imperial Guard
The Dominion of Man stretches from the Halo Stars to the Eastern Fringe and beyond. This gulf is unfathomably vast and travel from one end to the other is inconceivable during a mortal lifespan. Even communication between planets is an onerous, and often unattainable task. Isolated by cosmic distances, a message sent at the speed of light would take many decades or eve centuries to reach neighboring star systems, cries for reinforcements going unheeded for aeons. Across this expansive realm there is only a single force numerous to defend all fronts simultaneously - the Imperial Guard - The Hammer of The Emperor. As with all soldiers of the Imperium, the life of an Imperial Guardsman is one of discipline, duty and honor. Whilst such warriors are hardly the equals of Space Marines, they outnumber their superhuman brothers in arms by millions to one. Whilst the mass-reactive shell of a bolter can stop a single foe in its tracks, the hail of a million lasgun bolts can halt the advance of an entire army. The forces of the Imperial Guard are trained to hold firm in the face of the enemy and respond with a steady aim. They fight neither with the most powerful weaponry nor with gene0enhanced metabolisms, but with fire in their bellies and courage in their hearts. That normal men do this in the face of bloodthirsty Daemons and towering alien bio-constructs make it all more heroic. Each Guardsman is sworn to protect The Emperor's realm and to annihilate his enemies in any of the terrible wars across the galaxy. It is warfare at it's most brutal, where the lives of individual soldiers are irrelevant and the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of men decides the fate of worlds. Yet even among such bloodbaths there are pivotal moments when the deeds of a company of brave troops can turn the tide. At times, the actions of even a single soldier can make the difference between victory and defeat. The forces of the Imperial Guard are not subtle, responding to almost every situation with the application of overwhelming force. The Imperial Guard grinds its foes to nothing in grueling wars of attrition, many commanders expending the lives of their men for the most trivial of tactical and strategic gains. Whilst certain resources, such as the relics from a lost technological age, are rare and priceless, the Imperium has at it's disposal one currency so vast it is all but inexhaustible - Manpower. The logistics involved in transporting the colossal armies of the Imperial Guard are daunting; indeed, even getting the sprawling bulk of the Imperial Guard to a war zone is a victory of itself. Whilst the forces are unwieldy and slow to react, when such immense armies are to deployed to engage an enemy the end result is inevitable. With such vast reservoirs of manpower, tanks and munitions, they are akin to a mighty sledgehammer that smashes its foes apart. Noted Regiments: Cadian Shock Troops Catachan Jungle Fighters Mordian Iron Guard Tanith First and Only Vehicles of the Imperial Guard: Note, this does NOT include sub types, those are listed on their particular page. Leman Russ Battle Tank Hellhound Flame Tank Chimera Armoured Transport Quotations: List of Imperial Guard quotations